Chapter 118: A Military Manual for a Fighting Cock

"Zixiu, how many soldiers should an Eagle-Flapping Colonel be allotted? Did my elder brother specify?" Cao Hong, soon to be the first general under Cao Cao's command to lead an independent force, felt little pride or ambition, but rather a sense of anxiety. After all, commanding troops was not his forte.

"Actually, Father did not return to Dongwuyang and is still inspecting various parts of Dong Commandery. The appointment of you, Uncle, as Eagle-Flapping Colonel was mentioned in a letter Father sent back to Mr. Wenruo. As for the number of soldiers and laborers, those were determined by Mr. Wenruo. Mr. Wenruo said that an Eagle-Flapping Colonel may lead five thousand infantry and fifteen thousand laborers, but they must all be recruited personally. Furthermore, he appointed you as the Magistrate of Juancheng County to govern this county," Cao Ang replied.

So, it is a matter of "self-reliance for food and clothing," is it? This method of army expansion is not bad, and it gives me enough flexibility. Moreover, by formally making me the Magistrate of Juancheng, it seems that once the autumn harvest passes, even provisions will be cut off—they clearly intend for me to be self-sufficient.

Cao Hong understood the intentions of Cao Cao and Xun Yu. He immediately summoned Pan Zhang and said to him, "Now that my elder brother has appointed me as Eagle-Flapping Colonel and Magistrate of Juancheng, this title is official. We must first establish a county office. Official documents should be centralized and not stored in military camps or temporary residences as they are now. I recall that the County Assistant and County Commandant I appointed are from prominent families who moved here. Since we are to build a county office, we must have them provide the funds and labor. Wengui, go and speak to those two gentlemen immediately."

Pan Zhang agreed and went to carry out the task. Cao Hong then asked a guard beside him, "When will Deputy General Shi return?"

The guard replied, "Reporting to the General, Deputy General Shi usually returns at dusk."

Cao Hong nodded and said, "Go to the Recruitment Camp and tell the soldiers on duty that when Deputy General Shi returns, he is to come to the camp to meet me immediately."

The guard acknowledged the order and left. Cao Hong then said to Cao Ang, "Zixiu, the southeast side of my military camp is where the documents recording the landholdings of every family in Juancheng are kept. Whenever they repair a section of the city wall or a child is born, they are allocated corresponding land. Consequently, these documents must be updated constantly. If you are to govern a region in the future, while you do not need to be an expert in filing, you must learn to tell at a glance if an official is being negligent. Since you are here, start your learning by compiling these documents."

Cao Ang’s face fell upon hearing this, and he said disappointedly, "I thought you were going to teach me that set of ground-fighting techniques from the Recruitment Camp, Uncle."

Cao Hong laughed, "You are the eldest son of the Administrator of Dong Commandery. What kind of decorum is it to be rolling around on the ground when fighting? If you can manage the compilation of documents well, I will teach you even more formidable martial arts."

Cao Ang asked, "Is that true?"

Cao Hong replied, "It is true."

Cao Ang exclaimed, "Then your nephew shall go at once!" He then hurried away.

*This kid... despite having read many books, he still has the heart of a youth,* Cao Hong thought with a silent smile. He then had a guard bring a book recording the tax laws of the current dynasty, preparing to use it as a reference to establish his own taxation system.

***

Many things are learned out of necessity. Cao Hong had been focusing on various documents for days, using his own modern knowledge combined with the memories of the original Cao Hong to resolve problems that previously gave him a headache. While they still gave him a headache now, he was no longer completely at a loss. For such an important matter as establishing a tax system, he naturally had to handle it personally.

Just as he was deep in thought, a guard stationed outside the tent approached and said, "Reporting to the General, another wealthy family has arrived outside Juancheng. They claim to be descendants of Sun Bin, and there are over three thousand of them."

Over three thousand people... What kind of wealthy family is this? That is too large! Cao Ren’s clan only had three thousand people when he dominated Pei State. This family must be a great clan of a commandery.

Cao Hong nodded and said, "Since they are such a great clan, I must naturally go out to welcome them. Prepare the horses."

An hour later, Cao Hong, accompanied by a dozen attendants, rode twenty miles outside Juancheng to the caravan of the wealthy family. He discovered that half of the three thousand people were the elderly, weak, women, and children, while the other half were fierce-looking young men. Some of the men even had yellow beards, and their eye colors differed from those of the Central Plains people, which left Cao Hong marveling.

*There are even foreigners among these people? What the hell!*

A fat, middle-aged man of about forty rode out from the caravan. He cupped his hands to Cao Hong and said, "Sun Boqin of Jincheng Commandery in Liang Province pays his respects to the General. We heard that Juancheng is rebuilding the ancestral shrine, so we traveled from Liang Province to acknowledge our roots."

Sun Boqin? Never heard of him! This was Cao Hong’s first reaction, though there were many people in that era whose names did not appear in historical records, which did not necessarily mean they were incapable.

Cao Hong cupped his hands and said, "I am Cao Hong, Cao Zilian, an Eagle-Flapping Colonel under the command of the Administrator of Dong Commandery, Duke Mengde, and the Magistrate of Juancheng. Mr. Sun, you are most welcome here. You may follow my County Assistant to find a place to settle. He will inform you of the land distribution methods."

Sun Boqin laughed, "My son can take care of that. My ancestors were descendants of Sun Tzu of Qi. After wandering, we settled in Liang Province, but we did not expect the Jincheng Yi Cong tribes to rebel, followed by the rampant Ma Teng and Han Sui, and then the national traitor Dong Zhuo moved the capital westward, making Jincheng Commandery a land of war. I had long planned to avoid the brunt of the fighting. Now, hearing that Juancheng is rebuilding the ancestral shrine, we have come to acknowledge our roots. Furthermore, I have an item to present to the General."

Cao Hong found this strange, not knowing what the man intended to give him. However, it was clear that he sensed an element of bribery. Therefore, after having an attendant settle the clan, Cao Hong immediately brought Sun Boqin into his tent and asked, "I wonder what item you wish to gift me, Mr. Sun?"

Sun Boqin smiled, "Has the General noticed the large leather bag hanging from my saddle?"

Cao Hong replied, "I saw it. It seems quite heavy. Is it filled with horse-hoof gold?"

Sun Boqin laughed, "Not at all. It contains the eighty-nine chapters of the *Sun Bin’s Art of War* written by my ancestor, along with four volumes of illustrations."

Cao Hong’s heart skipped a beat. *Sun Bin’s Art of War* had long been lost to the world. He never expected this fellow to possess the complete set. The value of this military treatise was immeasurable in that era. Because a single brilliant strategy could win any war, and not only had this book been lost for so long that no one knew its true contents, but Sun Bin was also particularly renowned for his formations. Now that Cao Hong was leading an independent army, he was in dire need of such a book focused on marching and tactical formations.

However, since Sun Boqin offered it as a gift, it was certainly not for free. Cao Hong did not show too much excitement and asked calmly, "I wonder what you are looking for in Juancheng, Mr. Sun? Since you are gifting such a peerless military treatise, you surely have a request?"

Sun Boqin smiled and said, "Although my ancestor was a master of military strategy, no one in my Sun family loves the art of war. We are all full of the stench of copper and love worldly wealth. So, as long as you can grant my family a path to prosperity, this military manual shall be yours."

Cao Hong frowned. The ways to generate wealth in this era were far more monotonous than in later times, consisting of only three things: mineral deposits, grain, and salt. Minerals and salt were controlled by the government, so Cao Hong naturally could not provide them. Grain required land, which could not be given without limit. This fellow wanted a path to wealth? If it involved those three, Cao Hong would naturally refuse.

Sun Boqin clearly saw Cao Hong’s hesitation and laughed, "I would never make things difficult for the General. I only ask that you allow my family to be the only family in Juancheng allowed to raise chickens."

"Raise chickens???" What was this fellow planning? As Cao Hong was stunned, Sun Boqin revealed the answer: "I want to raise fighting cocks."

Suddenly, a poem by his nephew Cao Zhi popped into Cao Hong’s mind: *'Waving feathers stir a clear breeze, fierce eyes emit a vermilion light. Beaks strike and soft feathers scatter, sharp spurs strike time and again. Long cries reach the blue clouds, wings flapping as they soar alone. Wishing for the help of civet fat, to forever dominate this arena.'*

This poem described the scene of a cockfight. The entertainment of cockfighting had a long history, dating back to the Warring States period, and became popular during the Wei and Jin dynasties. Clearly, the talented Cao Zhi was an expert at cockfighting. And as luck would have it, the cockfights of Juancheng were world-renowned; even two thousand years later, the "Fighting Cocks" of Juancheng County in Shandong were still famous.

*This damn fellow, he is truly a genius! Why didn't I think of this? Damn! Forget about taxes, I could be rich for three generations just from this!* Cao Hong suddenly thought of a brilliant way to generate wealth.

"What is difficult about that? I agree!" Cao Hong readily consented.